Tulia's Pack
by AlexFili
Summary: Tulia knows the problems that trouble the rest of the group. Something is out there, something evil. Tulia and her friends must learn to survive against these new enemies. Will she be able to express her love to Silpher? The Second of the Pack series.


Tulia's Pack

Chapter 1: The Female of the Species

Hi! My name is Tulia. You probably don't know me so I'll explain our situation. A few months ago, we were forced out of a secure facility to go and start our new life in the wild. It took a while to adjust, but I think on the whole we're coping quite well with the outdoor lifestyle.

We are a genetic mix of Slig and Scrab. Physically we resemble the Sligs quite a lot. We are about 5 feet tall in height and a bit more bulky than the typical worker Slig. We wear facemasks, have four face tentacles, use mechanical pants to walk and have a small tail which we fit into our pants in order to walk.

For communication we normally just use our voice, but can howl to get other hybrids' attention. Unfortunately, we haven't thought of a witty name to call ourselves, so it's just 'hybrids' for now.

Over the past two months, our skills have been developing more and more. Like Scrabs, we have a kind of short range electroreception which tells us if there are other creatures nearby. At first, we just saw it as a kind of extra sense, but now we can use it to avoid ambushes and see in the dark more effectively. Our senses of smell and hearing have improved vastly since we have been out of the factories. We can hear and see quite far now... it sometimes makes me wonder just how much we've changed.

I should probably mention that I'm a female hybrid. Tulia smiles to the camera and gives a wink. We are quite similar to the males in most respects. I guess the biggest difference between us and the guys is that we have purple eyeholes on our visors, compared to the green of the males. We have some short synthetic eyelashes on the masks as well. Lara's look the nicest though. She tends to make her lashes longer than the others.

I suppose if you took a look at all of us, you'd be surprised at the variety of our appearances. We all have different colourations on our skin, due to the different chemicals used when we were brought up. Mine is a light shade of red, my best friend, Silpher's colour is crimson.

Oh, but where are my manners? I haven't even introduced them yet! I'll tell you all about them now.

Chapter 2: Meet the Hybrids

As Tulia prepares to speak, Karn enters the screen and scratches his head. "Hey Tulia, whatcha doing?". Tulia shook her head, "For Ode's sake... I'm trying to record something here, can you leave please?". Karn nodded, "Sorry miss. See you later". Tulia turned back to the camera, "So... where was I?".

Silpher is my best friend. We hang out a lot together. He's handsome, brave, strong. He has Gathskan, which makes him allergic to pollen during hot days. Thankfully the summer is over now, so he won't be sneezing too much for a while! We've known each other for a very long time, but I still regard him as a friend... at the moment.

Lorn is like our mentor, he's a dark shade of grey. He's the oldest of us, but only by a few weeks. He's the most mature and also the most intelligent. He's an excellent advice-giver and he always looks out for everyone else. Everyone has a lot of respect for him.

Ulric is the pack leader, or Alpha. We all know that Ulric is the strongest of all the males, so we always treat him with respect. He's excellent with weapons. After we took up weapon-crafting out of the wood and other raw materials, he's chosen to use spears. He's a dark blue colour.

Inna is probably my best female friend. She's flirty but really honest and helpful to everyone. She's the Alpha, along with Ulric. Those two get on really well together. I'm sure that Inna will probably approach him soon and ask him for something more than friendship... not sure how he'll take that.

Magnus, he's a bit like the dark meep of the hybrids really. We never really paid too much attention to him until he learned to master fire. We still don't know to this day how he managed it, but he can unleash fire from his hands. He's an orange colour.

Karn is the best at close-combat, but he's not really skilled with weaponry. He's a deep red in colour and his muscles are larger than most of us. He doesn't have a great range of skills though. We try and get him to help us with other things. For such a big guy he doesn't talk much.

Bron is even less outspoken though, it took Bron the longest to learn how to talk. He rarely talks to the girls much at all. He seems to have a stutter that's become a bit worse lately. He's a dark green in colour.

Hemm is quite funny, but at the same time, he can be annoying. He's quite full of himself, so he often taunts us and plays practical jokes. He's a dark yellow in colour. He's not that strong compared to the other male hybrids really, so he's mainly just a scout.

Dogol is well-mannered, but a bit of a coward when it comes to hunting. I think he needs a bit more confidence, that would help him out a bit. Maybe Bitsy can help him out, they get on well together. He's a dark purple in colour.

I talk to Riley quite a bit. She's nice and she often says the most out of the girls. Sometimes her talkativeness gets her into a lot of trouble though. She doesn't really know when to be quiet, but she respects authority. She enjoys cooking quite a bit as well, especially making soup and stew.

Bitsy is a unique character. She was the first of us to give up meat for food, at first I thought she was a bit loopy. She just didn't enjoy eating animals and now I can see why she would do that. She's pretty clever when it comes to mushrooms and plants, she loves making salads for us. She's also quite motherly and will often tend to our wounds first.

Lara is the girl with the lengthened eyelashes. She's the one who knows most about the local trees and wildlife. She teamed up with Lorn to research weaponry. She's probably the most intelligent of the females. I bet Lorn taught her a trick or two! She's currently cutting wood to make weapons, she'd better give me something good when she's done!

Well, that's everyone. Bye for now! Tulia waves to the camera and smiles as the camera pans away. Bron walks nervously towards the camera. "Is this thing on?". He taps the lens cautiously. He then walks away, shrugging.

Chapter 3: Facing the Elements

Elementaris, the study of the elemental magic used on Oddworld long ago. Very few know of its existence today. Even the Mudokon shamans rarely study such complicated magic. There was a time when every Oddworldian race could use magic, however in the age of technology, most gifts remain hidden... just waiting below the surface, untapped power ready to be harnessed.

A violent storm passed over the camp last night. Tents were ripped from the ground and the pack were scattered. Hemm, Dogol and Bron were huddled together, hoping that the sun would soon rise and bring warmth. It rose a few minutes later than usual, and the sky was still very cloudy. Dogol stood up, "I'd better get a fire going or we'll freeze out here. Bron, find some twigs". Bron nodded and started looking for some twigs to start a fire. Hemm and Dogol returned a minute later with a few logs. Hemm smiled, "This should make for a great fire, let's start it already!". Dogol shrugged and sat down, trying to light the twigs. It took longer because the twigs were slightly wet.

After a fire had started, the three hybrids crowded around the fire, holding their hands over it. Bron smiled, "That's nice and warm". Dogol grinned at Bron, "Master of the understatement... So tell me, think we'll find the others quickly?". Bron was a bit nervous while answering, "Um... Well... Y-Yeah of course we'll find... them... soon". It was a bit disjointed, but Bron gives cryptic answers when he's nervous. Hemm was about to chuckle but Dogol gave him a stern look and he decided to talk about something else. "I've never been this wet before, one heck of a storm right?". Dogol nodded, "It was pretty bad, and I hope everyone else is okay". Bron stood up, "If I... know Lorn and the... others, they should be... fine".

Karn was trying to find the other hybrids, "Anyone there?". Lorn gave a howl and stepped out of the bunch of fabric and twigs which was previously a tent. "Hi there Karn, rough night?", "Yeah". Lorn sighed, "Come on, let's find the others". It wasn't long before Lorn met with Lara and Bitsy, he beckoned them forwards and they set off to look for the other hybrids.

Tulia and Silpher were still cuddling each other. Her head was next to his chest. The resounding, 'thud thud thud' made her feel safe. "And here I was thinking that Magnus was the warmest hybrid here". Silpher chuckled, "Aw shucks babe, you don't have say some funny things". He licked her face in a jokey kind of manner. Tulia gave him a playful tug on one of his face tentacles. "Ah!", he jokingly squealed. The two hybrids were now rolling around and laughing at each other. They heard a familiar voice from nearby, "So that's where you got to!". It was Inna. "Come on guys, the pack's waiting!". Silpher and Tulia stood up and joined the other hybrids.

Lorn counted heads, "So that's... me, Tulia, Inna, Silpher, Karn, Bron, Dogol, Lara, Bitsy, Hemm... we're missing some people, Ulric isn't here". Inna looked around, she seemed a bit worried. Silpher looked towards Lorn, "Riley isn't here either... where the heck could they be?". Lara stood up, "If I know Magnus, he's probably trying to find them". Tulia smiled, "Let's call out to them, maybe they aren't too far away".

Chapter 4: Caught in a trap

"Don't move... Don't move an inch, whatever you do...". Magnus was watching Riley, his eyes staring open with a mixture of fear and tension. Riley was half-stuck in a gigantic Paramite web. This was the nest of the Paramite queen, and it seemed like it could return at any moment. Magnus touched one of the ends of the web, starting a small fire. "I'll try and guide it to the sides of the webbing, don't get burned". Riley nodded nervously, suddenly they heard a Paramite hiss from nearby. "Darn it, we'll have to get going fast". Magnus hurried over to Riley, burned away the remaining section of web and took her to the exit.

Riley and Magnus were both panting, trying to catch their breath. "That was pretty intense, I don't think I'll move for a while", Magnus clutched his chest. Riley nodded, she heard a noise, "What was that?". Magnus stood up, "It's Ulric's call, and we'd better go and help him".

Ulric was in a bit of a tight spot. He was cornered in a chasm with three adult Scrabs closing in on him. He didn't seem to be able to escape. He looked at the scenery, trying to think of something to use. It's a good thing he kept his spear with him. He knew that using the spear in close-combat would just end up with the spear getting broken. He threw the spear at the closest Scrab, a direct hit in the Scrab's chest. The other Scrabs charged at him. He moved at the last second, one of the Scrabs running into the wall and hurting itself. The other Scrab made sure that Ulric couldn't escape, by blocking the exit. The Scrabs were now on either side of him, trying to make him panic.

Ulric knew his only chance was to get out of here, he bolted for the exit. He approached the Scrab and kicked it in the jaw, before following up with an uppercut. The other Scrab ran towards him and gave him a nasty wound down his back. "Aaah!", Ulric yelled and fell to the floor. He gave an emergency howl to let the other hybrids know he was in trouble. The other Scrab was moving closer and closer. The Scrab was about to move his head down towards Ulric's body, but Ulric kicked out with one of his robotic legs. The Scrab was annoyed with this and kicked Ulric across the room. Ulric's back was injured, he wasn't going to get up in a hurry. The Scrab howled and moved towards Ulric. The Scrab stopped in its tracks. It looked to the side, only too late, to see a fireball moving towards the Scrab. The heat obliterated the Scrab in an instant.

"Ulric pal, you alright?", Magnus nudged Ulric. "Ow, I could do with some help". Magnus lifted Ulric up to his feet, "My back's killing me, support my weight". Magnus grabbed onto Ulric's shoulder, helping him to maintain his balance. They headed towards Riley, "Oh man, is Ulric okay?". Magnus nodded, "He's got some nasty injuries... let's call the others". The other hybrids were walking when Lorn raised a hand, "Wait... I think I can hear Riley and Magnus, let's go". The hybrids ran in the direction of the howls. Inna ran towards Ulric, giving him an embrace. "Hey hey, not so rough Inna... My back's in agony here!". Inna smiled, "Well, you haven't changed. Come on then, let's get you back to camp". Inna and Magnus supported Ulric from both shoulders now.

Chapter 5: The Rising

As the hybrids were walking back to camp, Bron walked away from the other hybrids for a moment. He saw a Scrab body lying close by. The other hybrids hadn't noticed. He approached the body with an outstretched hand, suddenly the body began moving. "Argh!", Bron quickly fell back and was frantically moving in the opposite direction. The other hybrids turned around to look, Riley went to stand next to him, "Are you alright?". Riley than turned around and saw a very unsettling thing. The Scrab which had formerly been dead was now standing up and moving slowly towards Bron. "What the heck is that thing?". While Scrabs don't normally have eyes, there were two red orbs near the Scrab's head which gave that impression. Around the Scrab's neck was a golden halo. Bron was more scared than ever, "Get… Get away from me!". The Scrab continued to advance. Bron stood up, held out a hand, "Stop! Don't get any closer". The Scrab halted its position. Riley was confused, "What the heck is it doing?".

The Scrab entered a bowing position. As the other hybrids approached, Hemm chuckled, "It looks like you're the master of it now". Bron stood up, "What? You're kidding right?! What if it tries to kill me?!". The Scrab remained motionless. Tulia shook her head, "If it wanted to kill you, why did it not run towards you? Or ignore your commands? Didn't you see the way it responded to your voice? You're in control of it somehow!". Bron gulped, the Scrab remained motionless. "I command you to… er…". Bron tried to think of what he wanted it to do. "Go and bring me the body of… A Sea Rex". Riley laughed, "You're kidding right? How can a Scrab kill a Sea Rex? Those things are massive". Bron smiled, "That's the whole point, now that thing won't come back to bother me". The Scrab walked away slowly, possibly never to return.

The hybrids met up back at camp, Inna started a conversation. "So, you can bring back creatures to life… and then control them?". Bron nodded, "It sure seems that way, it only works on creatures with their brains still intact though… So this lump of meat…", he waved his food, "…won't come back to life". Lorn sighed, "This is getting troublesome, these 'powers' we have may turn out to be our undoing". Silpher put his hand on Lorn's shoulder, "Come now Lorn, let's stay positive here. We have these gifts for a reason". It looked like Lorn was about to knock Silpher's hand away, but then he stopped. Lorn sighed, "I suppose you're right". Lorn walked away slowly. Silpher was worried, he'd never seen Lorn so angry before. This whole situation was obviously getting to him.

That night, Lorn and a few other hybrids travelled back to where the destroyed labs were. They found what they were looking for. Lorn picked up a half-buried object in the ground. It was a box which was covered with a black plastic covering. Hemm nudged Lorn, "Is that... a Black Box?". Lorn nodded, "Yeah, this should give us all the information we need".

Chapter 6: Hybrid Origins

As the morning sun rose across the valley, the hybrids gathered around in a circle. Lorn placed the Black Box on the table in the middle of the stone circle. The hybrids looked at the box. Some were excited, but a few hybrids were fearful as to what could be contained within. Tulia looked at the box, turning to look at Lorn, "Will this give us all the answers we need?". Lorn nodded, "Everything".

Lara placed her hand on the Black Box and opened it. Inside were a variety of things, computer chips, data logs... even a miniature PDA device. Lorn picked up the PDA device and began reading to the other hybrids. She saw an image of a hideous creature on the PDA with some text, "Experiment #1 was a failure; All evidence destroyed". Next was an image of a black Slig with yellow eyes, "Experiment #2 was a success. Test subject escapes. Current status: Unknown". The next picture was fuzzy and unclear, "Experiment #3 was a failure; Evidence frozen for further analysis".

Lara came across the Hybrids information. "Oddworld Experiment #4: Slig-Scrab Hybrids", she began reading a long list of dates which confirmed how old they were and their physical attributes. It took a while to reach the interesting sections, as the hybrids talked to themselves, Lara scrolled down further. Lorn interrupted, "Wait… Can you go back a bit?". Lara scrolled back on the PDA, "Subject injected with Chemical B". Lorn motioned towards the PDA, "And what about the others?". Lara scrolled to see the other Hybrids' details. "Subject injected with Chemical C… subject injected with Chemical D… I think we've all been injected with different chemicals". Hemm raised a hand, "What could this mean?". Silpher looked towards the Black Box, "I think it's fairly safe to say that whatever chemicals we were given, it altered us somehow… that's why our powers are different".

Lara scanned through the text. "It seems clear that none of the Vykkers knew about these powers. We can assume that they are side-effects from the chemicals". Lara scrolled back up to the top of the document. "Experiment #4 purpose: To eliminate the Black Shroud… What the heck is that?", the hybrids shrugged.

Lorn stood up, "Lara, is there anything else?". Lara nodded, "Just this last note... Experiment #5 was a success; SuperSligs are developed". She showed them a picture of some weird Slig experimental hybrids, one had a tentacle for an arm and another was a combination of two Sligs in one body. Inna looked at the picture, "I hope to Ode that we never see any of those things". Lara switched off the PDA.

Chapter 7: The Shroud Develops

A few days later, the group began feeling strange sensations. They could sense some kind of dark, evil presence. The presence was growing in number and beginning to creep into the hybrids' nightmares.

Ulric called a meeting. "This can't go on anymore. We keep feeling this dark aura and we can't sleep properly. We need to deal with this problem before it gets out of hand". Karn spoke up, "What if we can't beat these things?". Tulia stood up, "We need to try. If we don't do anything this whole situation is going to get much, much worse. We need to use our powers to beat them". Riley shook her head, "But we don't even know what our powers are. This idea is risky".

Tulia walked towards Riley, "What if we took the time to actually try and discover what our powers were?". Inna shrugged, "We COULD do that, but didn't we try that before". Tulia smiled, "True, but we never tried it with live animals nearby. Magnus and Bron only found out their powers when nearby animals".

Under Tulia's instruction, the hybrids brought 11 Paramites, their limbs were tied down so they couldn't move. Silpher smiled, "Here's the last one, Tule". He gave Tulia a kiss on the cheek as he went past. Tulia blushed and moved to one of the Paramites. Lorn walked forwards, "Everyone place your hand out in front of the Paramite and… let's see what happens". Magnus and Bron watched the other hybrids. The tension was unbelievable.

Chapter 8: Test of Patience

Several things happened at once. Inna gave a little shriek, Silpher fainted and Bitsy ducked under the table. Magnus raised an eyebrow. Normally he wouldn't mind, but nothing actually happened. "Come on guys, try to act sensibly please". Bitsy meanwhile had some success, "Look! Something's happening!". Magnus and Bron came over to Bitsy, the Paramite on the table was glowing a green colour. Lorn looked more closely, "There! It's injuries are being healed. You're a healer Bitsy!". Bitsy smiled, "Wow, I actually did it! Yippie!". She jumped up in the air with happiness. Ulric walked over, "Can you heal me next?". Bitsy nodded and started her healing powers once more.

Hemm was the second hybrid to notice something strange. As he moved his arm, he saw an after-image of it… as if he could see where his arm was previously. He moved his arm again and he felt a rush of air as the arm swept through the air. Hemm smiled, "Super-Speed… nice".

Lorn stepped back as his Paramite squealed in pain. Silpher walked over, "What did you do to it Lorn?". The Paramite kept squeaking and shivering, as black marks developed under it's skin. Lorn sighed, "It looks like internal bleeding. Some of these powers aren't meant to be used". Lorn put the poor creature out of it's misery.

It was about thirty minutes later and nothing else had happened. Silpher sighed, "I give up, I'll try again tomorrow. This is getting boring". Ulric nodded, "Me too. Time to get some hunting done!". The hybrids finished hunting a few hours later and brought back enough food for a small army. They decided to have an early night after today's activity.

Chapter 9: Deprived

Most of the hybrids fell into a restful sleep, but Lorn was still awake. He wished he was asleep but his eyes were wide open. The screaming Paramite kept haunting his dreams. He let out a tear as he turned on his side once more. His insomnia had become really bad recently, his dreams were haunted by strange creatures and nightmares.

The next morning the other hybrids were wide-eyed and ready for more. Tulia smiled, "Come on lazybones, let's go". Tulia gave Silpher a playful nip on his tentacle. "Ah! You're so cheeky Tule!". They laughed as they left the hut. Silpher and Tulia went to get some breakfast. Lara walked into Lorn's hut carrying a cup of warm Malko. "Hey Lorn, couldn't sleep?". Lorn shook his head, "Kept having bad dreams. Thanks for the drink". Lorn drank the warm liquid and felt his body getting stronger. Lara smiled, "I'll supervise the others". Lorn smiled and nodded, "I'll be up shortly".

Ulric and Inna just came back from scouting duty. They'd found a variety of berries and started to make a fruit pie. It was at that time that another hybrid shouted, "I've done it! I've done it! Look at this!". Ulric turned around to see which hybrid had shouted and smiled.

Chapter 10: Cold Shoulder

Silpher smiled as the Paramite in front of him turned a shade of light blue as its body froze over. "Frostbite! Cool!". Silpher jumped around happily. Even Lorn managed to smile at the youngster's enthusiasm.

The atmosphere changed in an instant. Lorn yelled and ran out of his hut. "I can sense something nearby, it's... an evil aura". The hybrids were all shocked, Ulric approached him, "Lorn, wh-". Suddenly every hybrid felt what Lorn had felt. Some fell to their knees, some fell backwards, all felt the overwhelming rush of fear and despair. Like static on a bad tv, their vision was clouded and tained by the evil force. Riley and Bron were screaming, Silpher yelled, "What the hell is this thing?". A noise nearby confirmed their worst fears. They are not alone and they were in more danger now than ever before.

One thing was clear from looking at this creature. It was not friendly. While comparisons could be made to a Scrab, it didn't look very much like one. It had an insectoid appearance, with mandibles and two sharp scythe-like arms which could only be for one thing, causing great pain and death to all who touch them. The creature started charging for Inna. Inna gasped and Silpher's eyed widened in pure terror.

Chapter 11: Balance of Power

"Inna!", Ulric started running towards the creature. He jumped into the air and landed a double-kick right on the creature's face. Ulric smiled, "That should have broken a few bones". Ulric turned to see the creature… but the creature had simply stumbled backwards, almost unharmed by the attack. Inna gasped, "Oh my Ode... he's not even bruised!".

Lorn growled, "This is not good. We've got to overpower it fast". Silpher smiled, "Time for a real fight". He charged up a frost blast and let it hit the creature. The creature stumbled and it's movements became slower. Hemm ran towards the creature, yelling like a barbarian. He used his rapid speed to attack the creature with a few hundred punches, he felt the creature's frozen body chip away with each punch. Hemm then stepped back, letting Magnus approach. Magnus looked at the creature's glowing green eyes, "Get lost". Magnus charged up a fireball and threw it directly into the creature's exposed chest.

The creature screamed as the fire was burning straight to the creature's vital organs. The creature fell to the floor and burned away, his body turned to ash and scattered. Lorn smiled, "Well that was lucky". Silpher looked at Lorn and nodded, he than saw something near Lorn. "LORN! BEHIND YOU!". Lorn's smile faded as he turned around to see another creature standing right behind him. Not a good position to be in.

Chapter 12: Fodder

The creature slapped Lorn aside with the force of an 18-wheeler, Lorn crashed through into the trees. Silpher and Magnus charged up their attacks, but they were starting to feel tired and powerless, their blasts just seemed to scrape the surface of the creature before disappearing, Magnus tried again but his fireball couldn't travel far. "Darn, we've run out of energy here, we need to do something".

Hemm approached the creature once more and tried rapidly kicking the creature. His kicks weren't quite as fast, but the kicks did more damage. The creature felt some of his armour breaking away. The creature slapped Hemm away, Hemm felt a rush of air and then crashed into the ground with a loud thump.

Lorn noticed that his wounds were healed, "Thanks Bitsy". Lorn ran towards the creature. The creature turned and tried to attack, but Lorn was too fast. Lorn ducked and pressed his hands to the creature and used his power. The creature stopped mid-strike and screamed in agony. The creature's armour cracked all over and liquid spurted out of some of the holes. With a final push of energy, the creature fell backwards and turned to ash.

Chapter 13: Bad Winds

Lorn fainted, his body fell backwards and hit the floor with a thump. Bitsy ran over to him and tried to heal him. Silpher walked over, "Is he going to be okay?". Bitsy sighed, "I think he used too much of his power, I'll try what I can". Lara put her hand on Bitsy's shoulder, "Bitsy, be careful… you must be running low on energy also". Bitsy nodded, "But Lorn is more important, I'll do what I can". She finished healing Lorn and then walked over to Hemm. Silpher sat next to Lorn and nudged him, "Lorn, are you okay?". Lorn moved his body and opened his eyes, "Heh… Silph… I feel a bit scrabby right now". Silpher smiled, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Come on, let's get you some Malko". He helped support Lorn and walked to Lorn's hut.

While Lorn and Hemm were resting, Ulric stood up and addressed the group. "Look, we are in serious danger here, we need to get strong as quickly as possible. For everyone who doesn't know their powers yet, we really need to learn what they are as soon as possible". The hybrids stood up and brought some Paramites back to the camp again.

Ulric, Dogol, Tulia, Karn, Inna, Lara and Riley took up their positions. It took a while, but eventually some of them managed to discover their powers. Inna's fists glowed yellow and electricity flowed from them, she touched the Paramite and it was like touching an electric fence. As Lara touched the Paramite's skin, she could feel a lot more around her. She felt more auras, she could feel the wind and she could sense all of the life-forms nearby in much more clarity. Tulia was trying really hard to discover her power. She let out all her energy in one go, and a massive gust of wind blew the Paramite off the table, the Paramite ran to the woods hissing. Silpher walked up to her, "Nice one Tule. I knew you could do it". Tulia blushed, "Thanks".

Chapter 14: On the Horizon

It was dark. The hybrids had finished their practice session. Ulric advised them to finish early in case something else were to attack them. Ulric walked up to Lara, "How's Lorn?". Lara sighed, "He's not up to doing anything right now… Hemm, Bitsy and Magnus are all feeling the strain from using their powers too much. They won't be able to do anything for a while". Ulric grunted, "That makes this situation a lot more dangerous".

Dogol held up his hand, like Magnus… it acted as a light-source, but he couldn't wield it as a weapon. Riley sat next to him, "That's quite handy. Where there's darkness…", Dogol smiled and finished her sentence, "…There is light".

Inna walked up to Ulric, "What's on your mind?". "I can't believe I don't know what my power is yet, almost everyone else knows theirs". Inna sighed, "Well… maybe your power isn't active". Ulric raised an eyebrow, "How so?". Inna shrugged, "Well, maybe leadership is your ability. Look at the way you saved me from that creature". Ulric lowered his head, "Maybe. Come on, time for your tail rub". Inna smiled and walked to Ulric's hut. Ulric smiled, "That gal… she's impossible sometimes".

Chapter 15: Darkness of the Night

Karn stirred from his sleep. He thought he heard a noise nearby. He looked around, but the scene was empty. "That's weird". He rose from his bed and looked through the hut's patchwork. He saw a shadowy figure outside. "Darn that thing, No way I'm gonna let it get me". He balled his hands into fists, he put all his energy into them. He jumped out of the hut and landed a crippling blow to the creature's jaw. One of the mandibles broke off and the creature was pelted towards a tree. The other hybrids woke up (except for Lorn and Hemm).

Silpher ran towards Karn and stood with his back towards him, "Darn, not more of these freaks". As the creature got up, another creature came to stand next to it. Riley was trying to focus, "If only there were less of them… We could deal with them if there weren't as many". Riley focused on the two creatures, held her hands upwards, pointing them. A crack was heard and a green-tinted chain was coupled to both of the creatures. It had effectively tied the two creatures together.

Ulric smiled, "Nice one Riley, Inna, Tulia, Let's go!". Ulric's rallying cry was like a massive adrenaline boost. Inna approached from the left-side and Tulia from the right. Inna pressed her hands along the creature's back and started her zap fists. Tulia meanwhile summoned a mini-hurricane and battered the creature from within. After the electricity and wind subsided, the creatures remained motionless on the floor, before turning to ash.

Chapter 16: The Darkness and the Light

Elementaris, the study of the elemental magic used on Oddworld long ago. The balance between good and evil was always a hot topic for young magicians. The Shamans used their powers for good, but the necromancers used their power for evil. But now there is a different kind of evil... The technology of the Glukkons, the armaments of the Sligs, the spears of the Mudokon tribesmen... Oddworld is facing war, so magic will strike back in the only way it can. The equation must be rebalanced. Light and Darkness will meet once more, the circle of life is everchanging and unstoppable. Only the heroes can protect the light and the villains covet the darkness within.

At the height of power, many Mudokon slaves were freed by heroes... One being born of darkness, the Elite Black Reaper created an army of Black Reapers. His intentions were to balance the scales in the favor of darkness. Black Reapers descent on the Oddworldian landscape far and wide. The Mudokons tribes try and protect their shamans as much as possible, but spears and Mudarchers can only do so much. The Sligs protect their Glukkon masters with guns, while the Glukkons order technology to try and improve their defensive capabilities. The Dark Reapers infect society like never before, such a plague on the world. Who can stop this evil?

Meanwhile, the powers that be grant blessings to those that fight the darkness. There are two things that can be used to fight the darkness; Strength and Love. The greatest of the two, is Love. Silpher yawned. "Is this nice Tule?", Tulia smiled as Silpher was massaging her shoulders again, "Yeah, it's lovely. Can you place your hands a little lower please?". Silpher smiled, "Sure". Silpher's hands moved down to Tulia's lower back. Silpher was enjoying this just as much as Tulia. Their bond was becoming stronger and stronger with each passing day. Tulia turned her head to look at Silpher through the corner of her eye, "Silpher... If you're ready... then I am". Silpher looked at her with an expression not unlike confusion, "Tule, I know this is going to sound corny but... I feel that we are united by a strong bond". Tulia smiled, "Then, it is time. Karako... Silpher". Silpher smiled in return, "Karako, my dear Tule". Silpher unzipped Tulia's bra.

Lorn and Hemm were talking together. Lorn sighed, "This evil presence, is there anything we can do?". Hemm nodded, "We have to believe that we can beat them. We need to work as a team and beat them all". Lorn looked at Hemm, "You're right. It's time we started to rally our own forces, the world needs to know about this impending doom". Lorn stood up, "Thanks for the Malko by the way, it was delicious". Hemm smiled, "No probs, Bitsy's Malkoshake is always fantastic".

Chapter 17: Of Love and War

Silpher approached Ulric the next day. "I did it, Ulric. I finally got the nerve to do it. I said Karako to Tulia!". Ulric rolled his eyes, "Really? I said that to Inna ages ago". Silpher was shocked, "You did?". Ulric smiled, "She said 'no'… I think I was being too selfish back then. I'll try again sometime soon though, she can't resist me forever". Silpher chuckled, "Your rippling muscles can attract any one of the females here, I bet". Ulric raised an eyebrow, "Silpher, is there something you want to tell me?". Silpher looked shocked again, "No! No! I don't like you in THAT way Ulric". Ulric laughed, they both wrestled each other to the ground and chuckled.

Hemm stood up and walked out of the hut. He sighed and looked out at the horizon. 'The calm before the storm', he thought to himself. When Sligs make a mistake, they are killed either because of the mistake or are killed shortly after by the Glukkon bosses. Slig-Scrab hybrids have to learn from their mistakes and adjust, which is not nearly as easy. Hemm was usually in quite a happy mood, but this whole situation has been more dangerous than anyone had imagined. Karn walked up to Hemm. "Hi, you okay?". Hemm smiled, "Barely. Good call with that attack the other night by the way, Ulric told me". Karn chuckled, "Well, I knew somethin' was wrong… I could feel the darkness creep around". Hemm nodded, "That's lucky, but what if next time we don't sense it? We need to do something".

Lara had finished talking with Riley. She left the hut and approached Ulric. "Lara? Are you alright?". Lara nodded, "Ulric, I need your permission for something. We need to make weapons while we have time. I have a good knowledge of the surrounding wood, I can create some decent weapons for us". Ulric nodded, "Okay, but take Karn and Hemm, they look bored as heck over there". Lara smiled, "Sure thing".

Chapter 18: Wood from the West

Bitsy was stirring the soup in the container. She added a bit of seasoning into the pot to make the soup taste better. Tulia walked up to Bitsy. "Can I have some soup? I feel a bit hungry". Bitsy smiled and passed her a bowl, "Of course". Tulia thanked Bitsy and drank the soup. It was very nice, especially after the ordeals of the previous few days.

"Spears, bows, swords and shields... That's what we need!", Hemm was talking a lot again, Karn was getting annoyed. "Let's just get this one", he broke the tree trunk in half and collected wood. When they returned, Lara took the twigs and got to work, she showed some of the other hybrids how to put them together to make a basic spear. She then created some shields and a bow. They practiced with the weapons a bit. Silpher and Ulric were sparring with theirs. Ulric smiled, "Good Silph, you've improved!". Silpher chuckled, "Come on Ulric, step it up". They clashed spears and proceeded to fight for a few more minutes.

Lorn sighed, "Think this will help?". He turned around and looked at Dogol. Dogol nodded, "Yeah, it will help a lot more than you might think. It's a good confidence booster as well". Lorn nodded, "True… We could use some good vibes now and then".

Chapter 19: War Unfolds

As the bombs hit the ground, the earth shakes with a mighty tremble. The Dark Reapers are progressing over the hills and valleys as wave after wave of Slig try to shoot them with machineguns. The Slig general was walking alongside his troops, motioning them and yelling orders. His red leader jacket was really quite a sight to behold. The army had almost been driven back, but he put his own life in danger to save his men. The Dark Reapers started trying to group together, but the flamethrower and rocket units picked them off and the battle was won. "Sir, Sir!", a young recruit walked up to him. The Slig Commander looked down to see his advisor standing nearby, "The battle is won, Flutol". The little Slig saluted and walked away to record the result of the battle. The commander wiped his head with a cloth, "I have to find the rest of them". With that, the commander picked up his heavy-duty rifle and headed in the direction the Dark Reapers came from.

After a few miles of walking, he heard noises and peered through the trees. He saw a large group of Dark Reapers up ahead, moving around in a circle. He held his rifle steady. Suddenly the Dark Reapers moved, possibly to attack something else. The commander waited and then followed them.

Lara gasped, "They're on their way". Lorn stood up and whistled to the hybrids. "Everyone, this time we're prepared. Let's give them a real fight". The hybrids yelled "Yeah!" in approval. Silpher and Ulric knew that this wouldn't be easy.

Chapter 20: Trapped in Blue

Within a few minutes, Lara's suspicions were confirmed. A total of thirteen Dark Reapers were approaching on the horizon. Lorn counted, "Thirteen… think that's a co-incidence?". Riley gulped, "No matter what, we have to try and drive them back". Ulric nodded, "You said it… Attack formations!". Each hybrid went back to back with another, Karn stood alongside Riley and Bitsy. The Dark Reapers were upon them quickly, their rattling raspy voices penetrated the air and their dark bodies oozing despair and death. The hybrids made the first move. Silpher and Magnus released their charged attacks and took out two of the Dark Reapers. Karn counter-attacked another Reaper which flew back and turned into ash upon hitting a tree.

Hemm rushed forwards and attacked a Reaper with furious speed. He was a blur, attacking with all his might and as quick as lightning. The Reaper turned to ash before him. Ulric threw a spear into a Dark Reaper and started attacking it with his fists. The fight it seemed was in the hybrids favor. Some of the hybrids didn't has as much luck with their powers though.

Bron was struggling to get out of this situation. Bron could only handle one Reaper as it was, but there were two Reapers approaching from the southern side. He needed some backup. Bitsy came up to Bron and smiled, "Looks like I got here in time, not that you needed my help". Bron raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?". Bitsy looked behind Bron, "Seems your friend is back". Bron turned around and was quite shocked to see the return of something he thought he would never see again, "No way!".


End file.
